Bracket #40 — the answers
The five questions from November 8, 2026, with their answers, the track each ran on, and the bracket that would have scored 90 on it.
The answers
| # | Question | Answer | Track | A tenth of it, on the answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How many piano sonatas did Beethoven write? | 32 | 5 to 100 | 27.5 to 37 |
| 2 | How many stickers are on a Rubik’s Cube? | 54 | 10 to 200 | 44 to 64 |
| 3 | How far below sea level is the lowest point in Death Valley? | 282 feet | 20 to 1,000 | 235 to 330 |
| 4 | How many species of birds are there, roughly? | 11,000 | 100 to 1M, logarithmic | 6,900 to 17,000 |
| 5 | What do the whole numbers from 1 to 95 add up to? | 4,560 | 100 to 100,000, logarithmic | 3,200 to 6,400 |
Question by question
A question scores 100 minus the bracket’s width as a percentage of the track, if the answer is inside it, and nothing if it is outside. The tenth-of-the-track bracket below is the one a confident player was aiming for.
- How many piano sonatas did Beethoven write? 32 — in the lower third of its track. A bracket from 27.5 to 37 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How many stickers are on a Rubik’s Cube? 54 — in the lower third of its track. A bracket from 44 to 64 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How far below sea level is the lowest point in Death Valley? 282 feet — in the lower third of its track. A bracket from 235 to 330 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- How many species of birds are there, roughly? 11,000 — near the middle of its track (a logarithmic track, so a tenth of it is a tenth of the powers of ten it spans). A bracket from 6,900 to 17,000 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
- What do the whole numbers from 1 to 95 add up to? 4,560 — near the middle of its track (a logarithmic track, so a tenth of it is a tenth of the powers of ten it spans). A bracket from 3,200 to 6,400 is a tenth of the track and scores 90; the whole track scores 0.
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About Bracket
Bracket is Noggin’s estimation puzzle, on the second shelf: five questions a day with a number for an answer, bracketed rather than named, outside the daily line-up. How to play Bracket, or play today’s.